Pier connection



N. CHAYES ET AL PIER CONNECTION July 30, 1935.

Filed NOV. 3, 1933 Z 2 S s 76? ma z M m mm KM Wm; WM Q a 5 ting into sockets in the other memb'ers'shaped Patented July 30, 1935 PIER CONNECTION Nathan Chayes, New Rochelle, and Richard Blum,

Purchase, N. Y., assignors to Chayes Dental Instrument Corporation poration of New York New York, N. Y., a cor- Application November 3, 1933, Serial No. 696,494

7 g V p f 1 Claim.

This invention relates to removable dentures and particularly to that class of such devices in which the denture is removably held in place by substantially T-shapecl parts on one member fitto receive the T-shaped members. To provide a yielding interlock between these parts, it has been the practice to split the head members in various ways with a view to forming spring tongue members. The metal of the head however is not well suited to this additional spring function, the tongues quickly losing their resiliency, breaking oif, or failing in other respects.

Special objects of this invention are to provide simple and practical means for holding the denture in which the above mentioned faults are eliminated; in which :the desired holding tension may be provided, in which the holding tension will be of a lasting or more permanent character and of such nature that it may be removed in case of breakage or the like.

The foregoing and other desirable objects are attained in this'invention by certain novel features of construction, combinations and relation of parts, as set forth in the following specification.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, the invention is illustrated in the preferred form but it should be understood that the structure is capable of modification without departure from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the invention as applied to and in use for removable bridge work.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective View of the head member of the denture as constructed with a resilient or holding element seated in a proper slot in the face of the same.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the socket designed to receive the head.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an assembly of head and socket.

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a tension member used in the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, l indicates generally the head member, which as shown, is of generally T-shaped form made up of a neck portion H and a cross-head portion l2. This cross-head portion I2 is provided with a wide slot extending from top to bottom and having walls It and I5. These Walls 14 and I are provided with dovetail grooves I (i. The neck portion (cite-5) H is provided with a recess H atthe lower eke tremity-thereof and adjacentthe cross-head H.

for a purpose to be explained later.

.The socket member is indicated generally at 29, being in the form-of a shell having a cavity' to receive the crossehead T-shaped member and having a wide slot 2! for the neck portion of' the head member. This slot 21 does not extend the full length of the socket 2G as shown. The wall portion 22, the long front wall and the botheld in the socket, use is made of spring mem-.

here A of the character shown indetail in-Fig. 6. Each spring member is made from flat stock and is formed into substantial U-shape with one portion 3i] and a second portion 3|. The portion 30 has its longitudinal edges tapered as at 32 to fit in the dovetail slots IS in the cross-head. The portion 3! is of width slightly less than the distance between the walls It and i5 so that this part 3i can lie between these walls with its outer surface in substantial alignment with the outer surfaces of the cross-head. The material used for the spring is preferably a corrosive resisting steel alloy which is not affected by mouth or food acids and which is very tough and ductile. This material has very good elastic properties whereby an efficient spring can be made therefrom.

The application and use of the elements of 1c present invention are substantially as follows: Sockets 2! are properly positioned and secured in pier teeth d9, while head members H! are secured to a removable denture in the nature of teeth it I. After the sockets and the head members have been properly secured in place, spring memhere A are seated in the slots in the faces of the cross-heads 12 of the cross-head members I0. In other words, these springs are not inserted until all heating operations, such as soldering, casting, or spot-welding, have been completed. The springs are inserted from the lower ends of the cross-heads i2 with the tapered edges 32 of the expenses 36) fitting in the dovetail slots It. When properly inserted, the upper edge of each expanse 38 will be in substantial alignment with the top of a head member Hi. In this seated position the expanses 3! extend outwardly somewhat from the faces of the cross-heads l2, but the expanses 3! can be pressed into the spaces between the walls I4 and I5 of the slots in the cross-heads.

The removable denture is now in condition to' PATEN OFFICE.

the resiliency of the springs.

be inserted in its place, which insertion is accomplished by pressing the cross-heads l2 into the sockets 2|. Such insertion causes the expanses 3| of the springs A to be compressed into the slots in the cross-heads, but due to the resiliency of these springs the expanses will be forced against the long front walls of each socketor less tapered, and that the tooth actually moves when in use. Hence, it is necessary that the attachment between the removable denture and the pier teeth be capable of a slight movement, but at the same time be held firmly in position with just the right amount of tension, so that the patient may remove the denture and replace the same at will. If after repeated removal and replacement of the denture thesprings lose some of their tension to ho1d the denture in place properly, the tension can be renewed by simply forcing the expanses 3| outwardly from the expanses 30 a slight amount. Due to the material used in the spring this renewal of tension can be accomplished many times without destroying However, if one of the spring members should become broken due to repeated use, it can be renewed or replaced very easily by simply removing the taper-edged expanses 30 and inserting a new V-shaped spring member in the place of the broken member.

This new type of connection assures a better fit between the head of the removable denture and the socket due to the fact that practically the entire outer surfaces of the expanses 3| of each spring member are in.contact with the front walls of the sockets. At the same time the very slight movement essential to the connection when the denture is in actual use is provided.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a new, simple, efficient and readily replaceable tension member for removable dentures, which connection and tension member overcomes the faults inherent in previous structures. While the preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, it will be apparent that modifications can be made therein, in view of which any limitations imposed upon the invention are to be only such as are set forth in the following claim;

We claim: I

In removable dentures a substantially T-shaped head member and a co-aoting socket member, the face of said head member being provided with a slot extending the full length thereof, the walls of said slot being provided with undercut grooves, a substantially V-shaped head member capable of being folded to lie with the expanses thereof in substantially flat contact, one expanse of said retaining member being shaped to fit in said grooves and the other expanse being shaped to lie between the walls of said slot and to substantially fill said slot when the expanses are forced together. NATHAN CHAYES.

RICHARD BLUM. 

